Hunter Biden reportedly received a 2.8 carat diamond from a Chinese energy tycoon
Former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, might be cause for concern for his father's presidential campaign, The New Yorker reports.
Hunter Biden has recently fallen under the microscope as details about his business dealings and personal life have come to light. The younger Biden's struggles with drugs and alcohol, divorce and subsequent relationship with his late brother Beau's widow, and questionable business practices in China and Ukraine are chief among the reasons why he could wind up being a thorn in the side of the Biden campaign.
In a sprawling piece, The New Yorker details how Hunter Biden, while on the board of the World Food Program USA, said he was gifted a 2.8 carat diamond by Chinese energy tycoon Ye Jianming, the head of CEFC China energy. Biden said he was trying to secure a large donation from Ye at the time. While he doesn't think the diamond was intended as a bribe as his father was no longer in office, Biden said he still washed his hands of the diamond by giving it to his associates. He said he does not know what they did with it.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But during divorce proceedings, Biden's ex-wife, Kathleen, referenced the diamond, implying it was one of Biden's "personal indulgences."
Diamond aside, though, Biden continued working with Ye, negotiating a deal for CEFC to invest $40 million in a liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana. The deal eventually fell through when Ye was detained by Chinese authorities in 2018 in what was reportedly an anti-corruption charge. Biden maintains that Ye was not a "shady character" and chalked up the situation to "bad luck." Read more at The New Yorker.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
What the chancellor's pension megafund plans mean for your money
Rachel Reeves wants pension schemes to merge and back UK infrastructure – but is it putting your money at risk?
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Why Māori are protesting in New Zealand
A controversial bill has ignited a 'flashpoint in race relations' as opponents claim it will undermine the rights of Indigenous people
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 21, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in Russia
Speed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sri Lanka's new Marxist leader wins huge majority
Speed Read The left-leaning coalition of newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won 159 of the legislature's 225 seats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden arrives in Peru for final summits
Speed Read President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, visit the Amazon rainforest and attend two major international summits
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published